Fear of God

by: John Bevere

We are living in the last days and the last days are like Noah. What did Noah has that help him through the turmoil he faced? Intimacy with God

James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Who draw near first? Us! We initiate! We are the one who determine the level of our relationship with God. NOT GOD! we often thought that people like billy graham were borned with cross on their head. They were borned closed to God. No, they are just like everyone else, but the difference lies in their willingness to accept God's invitation to draw near. A lot of people who are passionate about God is not people who stand on the pulpit, they are ordinary people who accepted God's invitation to draw near.

Psalm 139:18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

When you love someone, you automatically think about them right? God's thoughts about us outnumber the grains of sand in the world. Imagine how many thoughts He has on each one of us. How he yearns for us and how he yearns for our fellowship with Him.

God says for us to pray without ceasing. What is praying? Praying is a two ways dialogue. If God tell us to pray without ceasing, God is willing to communicate with us without ceasing. How good is that? to be able to communicate with God every second everyday for the rest of your life.

The reason why people lack intimacy with God is because they don't have the foundation. What is the foundation? FEAR OF GOD.

Psalm 89:7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.

When John Bevere went to Brazil for their National Conference back in 1996, the choir, praise and worship is incredible, but there's not even an ounce of God's presence in the room. why was that? he looked around andsaw people chattering among themselves, people looked around to their surrounding and didn't pay the attention to God. he was so upset that when it was his time to go up the stage, he stood silent for 45 minutes and and finally caught the attention of the audiences. He only asked two questions: if you want to talk with someone but the someone is talking with another person, will you talk to them? No. if you come knocking at someone's door and the reaction when they open the door is "oh, you again" will you come back? No. He told the room to repent and when they repent, God's presence come 3 times. The third time, the presence was so strong that the sound was as if a jet flew above the room. John said that it's not the daddy who visit, but the King who visit. The audience collapsed, weep and shouting. After that he went out of the stage and police that stood surrounding the stadium asked him in confusion what wind that comes from inside because they saw fire from the ventilation around the room.

2 presence of God: Omnipresence - I'll never leave you ...
John 14 Manifest presence - bring the unseen to the seen - Presence in the room

God won't come into a place where He's not held in utmost respect. The only way to get to God's presence is fear of God

God already teaches us about fear of God -> Matthew 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ...

What's the Fear of God? Fear is not afraid. How can you be close when you are afraid of Him. Scared of God = you got something to hide, so the darkness in you is not exposed
Fear of God = scared to be away from God.

Fear of God :
Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

It takes the love of God and the fear of God to keep us from sin.

Legalism Excess Disobedience

Love of God Fear of God

Fear of God : Reference Him, Love Him above everything else, Love what He loves, Hate what He hates.

Tremble in His word: to obey Him when it hurts, Obey when you don't see the benefit, Obey to completion, Obey when it doesn't make sense.

Psalm 25: 14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;he makes his covenant known to them.
Secrets of the Lord is with people who fear the Lord. All of us have secrets and only share it with close intimate friend. God is not everybody's friend. In the bible there's only 2 people who enjoy the intimacy of God. One of them is Abraham who obey God even when He was told to sacrifice his own son. Abraham obey and did the command on the next morning.

The dynamic of God and Abraham: God asked Abraham about demolishing Sodom and Gommorah. God valued Abraham's opinion and God's willing to do it after He listened to Abraham's suggestion. Abraham negotiated with God because there's his nephew Lot there. Remember that according to 2 Peter, Lot is a righteous person but he's as clueless as everyone else in Sodom and Gommorah that the city would be demolished. why? because though Lot is righteous, Lot does not fear God. Lot was saved by Abraham's prayer and God sent 2 angels to tell Lot.

You can be righteous, you can be holy, you can love God all your life but has no fear of God.

John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

God will see you as servant until there's Fear of God in you and He will see you as friend. Why?
To protect you because we might get hurt because of the close relationship that we are not ready yet.

"you are My friend if you do whatever I command of you" God design everyone to be his close intimate friend but it is us who determine the level of relationship we want to have with Him.